# India inland-waterway cargo reaches 218 million tonnes > A 16 October PIB backgrounder says inland-waterway cargo rose from 29 million tonnes in 2014–15 to 218 million tonnes in 2025–26. - Canonical URL: https://newsverum.com/en/news/india-inland-waterway-cargo-expands-navigation-network-2026 - Publisher: Newsverum - Section: Infrastructure - Country: India - Published: 2026-10-21T00:44:01+00:00 - Updated: 2026-10-21T00:44:01+00:00 - Event / data period: 2026-10-16 - Other editions: [Türkçe](https://newsverum.com/tr/news/india-inland-waterway-cargo-expands-navigation-network-2026.md), [العربية](https://newsverum.com/ar/news/india-inland-waterway-cargo-expands-navigation-network-2026.md), [Français](https://newsverum.com/fr/news/india-inland-waterway-cargo-expands-navigation-network-2026.md), [Español](https://newsverum.com/es/news/india-inland-waterway-cargo-expands-navigation-network-2026.md), [Deutsch](https://newsverum.com/de/news/india-inland-waterway-cargo-expands-navigation-network-2026.md), [Português](https://newsverum.com/pt/news/india-inland-waterway-cargo-expands-navigation-network-2026.md) A 16 October Press Information Bureau backgrounder says cargo on India’s inland waterways increased from 29 million metric tonnes in 2014–15 to 218 million tonnes in 2025–26. It reports a 20.13% compound annual growth rate over that period and says the volume exceeded the 200-million-tonne target set for 2030. India has 111 National Waterways spanning 20,187 kilometres, of which 32 are operational, according to the backgrounder. It describes hydrographic surveys, channel maintenance, digital depth and weather information, and riverine lighthouses on the Brahmaputra as elements of navigation-safety support. ## Data ### India inland-waterway cargo reaches 218 million tonnes Figures follow the fiscal years and current network definition in the PIB backgrounder of 16 October 2026. Cargo is stored in metric tonnes; the 2030 target is not added to the observed cargo series. Methodology: Figures follow the fiscal years and current network definition in the PIB backgrounder of 16 October 2026. Cargo is stored in metric tonnes; the 2030 target is not added to the observed cargo series. | date | label | description | status | |---|---|---|---| | 2026-10-16 | India inland-waterway cargo reaches 218 million tonnes | A 16 October PIB backgrounder says inland-waterway cargo rose from 29 million tonnes in 2014–15 to 218 million tonnes in 2025–26. | occurred | Sources: · Download data: [JSON](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/india-inland-waterway-cargo-expands-navigation-network-2026/data/source-event?lang=en&format=json) · [CSV](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/india-inland-waterway-cargo-expands-navigation-network-2026/data/source-event?lang=en&format=csv) ### India inland-waterway cargo reaches 218 million tonnes Figures follow the fiscal years and current network definition in the PIB backgrounder of 16 October 2026. Cargo is stored in metric tonnes; the 2030 target is not added to the observed cargo series. Methodology: Figures follow the fiscal years and current network definition in the PIB backgrounder of 16 October 2026. Cargo is stored in metric tonnes; the 2030 target is not added to the observed cargo series. | Indicator | Value | |---|---| | Cargo fiscal 2014–15 | 29000000 | | Cargo fiscal 2025–26 | 218000000 | Sources: · Download data: [JSON](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/india-inland-waterway-cargo-expands-navigation-network-2026/data/fiscal-cargo?lang=en&format=json) · [CSV](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/india-inland-waterway-cargo-expands-navigation-network-2026/data/fiscal-cargo?lang=en&format=csv) ### India inland-waterway cargo reaches 218 million tonnes Figures follow the fiscal years and current network definition in the PIB backgrounder of 16 October 2026. Cargo is stored in metric tonnes; the 2030 target is not added to the observed cargo series. Methodology: Figures follow the fiscal years and current network definition in the PIB backgrounder of 16 October 2026. Cargo is stored in metric tonnes; the 2030 target is not added to the observed cargo series. | Indicator | Value | |---|---| | Designated national waterways | 111 | | Operational national waterways | 32 | Sources: · Download data: [JSON](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/india-inland-waterway-cargo-expands-navigation-network-2026/data/waterway-network?lang=en&format=json) · [CSV](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/india-inland-waterway-cargo-expands-navigation-network-2026/data/waterway-network?lang=en&format=csv) ## Sources - [Press Information Bureau, Government of India]() (Source checked: 2026-10-21; Published: 2026-10-16) --- Cite the canonical URL above. [Editorial standards and corrections](https://newsverum.com/en/editorial)